Instagram, Photography, Technology

When Something Has To Give

I’m writing this post to let all my readers know that I will be taking a break from my blog. There’s a lot brewing in my life, and maintaining this blog to the standard that I like is not possible right now. One of the reasons is this:

You’re strong, so hand over some money.

I have a free Flickr account. They are migrating to a paid model. I am allowed to keep 1,000 photos free there as of January 2019.Ā  On the date of their announcement to focus on paid accounts I had about 33,000. Honestly, I was never super impressed with Flickr. But it was free, and sometimes when things are free, you don’t worry too much about their imperfections. So, I am attempting to get my files back from Flickr and it’s a mess. Not to mention a major time suck as I am trying to make my retreat from Flickr an organized one. Given that I could reasonably expect to live another 30 years, I would have to hand over $1,500 minimum to keep my files on Flickr. Given the number of error messages I have gotten over the last few days as I attempt to handle my files, there is no way I would even consider it.

Another has to do with my camera. Sadly my 50D is coming to end of its useful life. I’ve had it for about a decade, and I’ve been really happy with it. I narrowed down my new body to the Fuji XT-3 or the Canon 80D. I’ve decided to stick with a Canon.Ā  I’d like to thank all the bloggers who shot with Fuji who I’ve peppered with questions over the last few months, your input and advice was really helpful. I’m also getting started with Luminar, a new to me editing software. They will be rolling out a cataloging system in December and by March I am hoping to decide if I want to continue with my Lightroom/Photoshop subscription, or just move forward with Luminar. I’ll be needing a bit of time to work these things out.

The last is a bit of a catch-all reason. My life is just a bit full right now and both requires and deserves my attention over this blog. I do love this blog though, so I am hoping to be back in this space in mid-January. I’ll hope to see you here then. I’ll still be on Instagram during this blog break, so feel free to visit me there.

All the best and many thanks to everyone who reads this blog.

Cheers!

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53 thoughts on “When Something Has To Give”

  4. One of the few nice things about Facebook is that the [Like] offers a menu of emoji, including one for commiseration.  My [Like] is in that spirit.

    Time sinks do tend to come in busloads.  Hope the files on Flickr find a good home and that the transitions to a new camera and a new editing regime go smoothly.

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  9. My experience with both Canon and Fuji is great so whatever you’ve chosen it will be ok. I’ve never liked Flickr and didn’tr use it much (my account stopped working years ago and never managed to close it). As far as Luminar: I did not like the move to cc so I am using Lightroom classic and Luminar and I am happy of this new software, very much looking forwards, like you, to see the new version. Good luck with so many changes! They will bring new inspiration to your photography for sure!

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    • So, I’d heard and seen good things about Luminar, and then I watched a few tutorials before buying it. It seems to me that with a background in Apple’s Aperture (from a while ago) and then Lightroom and Photoshop, that I should be able to make the transition to Luminar without too many issues. With the troubles I am having with Flickr, part of me is grateful that I am getting my files back! They were all saved in various other places, but it has become apparent to me that Flickr wasn’t operating as well as I thought as a secondary backup. Thanks for your visit šŸ™‚

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  10. I prefer not to rely on cloud services. Hope you get it all organized. I’m doing a tidy up too.
    I recommend sticking with LR. They have been making catalogue apps and processing apps longer than Luminar. If you use key words like I do it helps.

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  13. We all need to have a break from blogging from time to time. But I am sorry you have had so much trouble, not the least with the change of Flickr. I don’t use their service, but what I have seen lately, doesn’t impress me. Look forward to having you back next year.

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  14. Good luck to you as you sort things out, and thanks for all your kind comments on my blog posts, photos, and Twitter. I’ve decided to stick with Flickr for another year, but that’s mostly because I haven’t found an alternative that suits me and I had just finished replacing my old photos on Flickr a few weeks before the announcement. You may recall I expressed interest in Smugmug a while back, but I’ve put that on hold for now: the way the owners handled the Flickr change is very unsettling to me and I want to see more about how they act with Flickr before I dish out more cash.

    I noticed your comment above about using Flickr for a secondary backup. For what it’s worth, I’ve used Backblaze to back up my computers for almost 10 years. Their service does a full backup, unlimited data, for $5.00 a month. There are many similar services, of course, but I’ve liked this one because it requires nothing from me once installed: the whole computer is backed up initially and new or changed files are updated in the backup by a tiny program that runs in the background all the time. I do it this way because I want an offsite backup that I know is independent of any photo sharing site. Something else for you to think about, I guess … šŸ™‚

    Bye for now!

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    • Thank you very much. I was wondering what you were thinking about doing with Flickr since I knew you had a lot of files there. For me, now was a good time to grab my files and run. Given the number of error messages and the amount of time it is taking me to download in an orderly fashion, I think I made the best choice for me. I had a Smugmug site for a few years, ultimately it wasn’t a great fit for me, and then they made a decision to increase the price by a fairly significant amount. At that point, I just couldn’t justify the price vs. the service that they were offering.
      I will actually look at Backblaze, since it does appeal to me to have a backup that is not on site here in case of a fire or theft. I appreciate you sharing that information with me.
      See you in the new year šŸ™‚

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  17. Amy good for you to take the break and try to minimize the stress as you are able. It sounds like a huge task and wish you well with all of the sorting. Sending very best wishes.

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    • Hi Sue, thanks for your well-wishes. The sorting task is now complete, which is a relief, it also means that I am on track to be back in this space in the new year. I hope all is well with you and all the best to you and your family for this holiday season!

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  19. Hi Amy! so understandable, your decision. What a huge burden to have to archive your Flickr stash. A big investment of time, I’m sure. I’ve been enjoying your photos over on Instagram while I’ve been taking a break from the blog, too, and coincidentally, I’m coming back to experiment with blogging about writing process and including excerpts of my own work, just now when you’re stepping back. I’m sure we’ll coincide again in a few months! Love that you’re staying engaged with your art, my friend!

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    • I am glad that you are visiting me over on Instagram šŸ™‚ I appreciate your comments there. I couldn’t quite give all of my fun photography things up, so that has been a nice little space for me over these last few weeks. The Flickr project is done now and what a relief to have it finished. It also means that I am on track for being back here in the new year. I will stop by your blog then for sure! Take care šŸ™‚

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      • Amy! Congratulations on getting your Flickr task done! Big accomplishment. And, yes, thank you also for continuing to take a look over here at my blog. After November’s writing month I had a chance to talk with some of the writers in our local area who’d been involved, and their suggestions about my blog inspired me to come back and try some new ideas. I’m experimenting with some Instagram “snapshots of writing life” also, we will see how that goes! šŸ™‚

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  20. Hi Amy, You will be missed but it is quite understandable when one realizes that something has to give. I am sorry to hear about your Flickr account– I’ve had one for years but only because it was free and another outlet for online photo display. I am a longtime SmugMug user and didn’t realize things had changed when they bought it. Enjoy your holidays and your new found time to focus on other things. Take care and see you on IG and Twitter. šŸ™‚

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  22. Oh well. Late as usual. Seems we have had some parallel travels. Been down the Flickr rabbit hole and then some other ‘life’ things as well. Best wishes to you for a Merry Christmas and a great 2019. Bon Voyage!

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    • Yes, I still have an account. I have some groups marked as private, that are basically photo sharing with friends and family, every day life kind of stuff, since I am often far away from home. I did go ahead an organize those as well so that I have a) less than 1,000 and b) an organized way to take them back off Flickr when I get close to the limit. What did you decide to do with your Flickr account?

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      • I have kept the account linked to the blog (it was a ‘free’ account). Because of the 1K photo/video limit coming, I removed everything not associated in some way with the blog. The account is below 400 images now so it has room to ‘grow’ but, like you, I will have to be more judicious on how I use the account esp. regards the blog. I must say I was somewhat peeved at the 1K photo/video limit rather than setting a storage limit (e.g., say 2GB like one gets with an unpaid Dropbox account). A storage limit would let me, not Flickr, control how many images are in my account by managing how big they are. Grrr. Oh well.

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